HCAOA The Voice Summer 2020

20 HCAOA The Voice PUBLIC POLICY Interim State Plans The Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act requires each state or jurisdiction that is receiving funding for testing to submit to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) a specific testing plan, guided by ongoing technical assistance from the Department. Plans for May and June were due to HHS at the end of May, and in early summer for the remainder of the year. As a precursor to these formal plans, HHS has provided each state with technical assistance to establish state goals and to help fully utilize its existing testing capacity. Specifically, a multidisciplinary Federal team with experts from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), FEMA, CDC, and other agencies held calls with leadership from each state and territory. In general, state participants included a representative from the Office of the Governor, the state public health laboratory, the state health official, and the state epidemiologist—or their equivalents. Concerns in Congress Some in Congress are complaining that the plan for testing is late and places too much responsibility on cash strapped states, creating a patchwork of outcomes rather than a cohesive national plan. It is certain that the Congress and Administration will continue to dialogue and debate as States roll out their plans in the coming weeks and months. In areas where mitigation strategies are strictly implemented, there will be less contact tracing needed and less concern of spread to vulnerable populations. When mitigation measures are relaxed, the number of social contacts will increase as does the potential risk of infection — making widespread testing and early warning more critical than during full community mitigation. >> continued from previous page